Why Fine Motor Skills Matter: Helping Your Child Build Strength and Coordination

Fine motor skills are essential for everyday activities like writing, using utensils, buttoning clothes, and tying shoes. These small muscle movements in the hands and fingers are key to your child’s independence, academic success, and confidence. When fine motor skills are delayed, tasks can feel frustrating or overwhelming, which may impact your child’s participation in daily routines.

You can support fine motor development at home through simple, playful activities. Try playing with playdough, using tweezers to pick up small objects, building with blocks, or doing art projects like coloring and cutting. These hands-on experiences strengthen muscles, improve coordination, and help your child build the skills they need—while having fun.

Try These At-Home Fine Motor Activities:

• Squish, roll, and pinch playdough

• Use child-safe scissors to cut paper or straws

• String beads onto shoelaces or pipe cleaners

• Pick up pom-poms with tweezers or tongs

• Draw or trace with crayons, markers, or chalk

• Peel stickers and place them on paper

• Build with small blocks or LEGO® bricks